Carol’s love for tennis, pickleball, and exercise classes kept her moving - so when she was diagnosed, she worried about missing out on her usual routine.
How SUSVIMO® may Help
Real patient stories with SUSVIMO
Real patient stories from others living with wet AMD
Hear how Carol, a patient with wet AMD, can focus on doing what she loves
CAROL:
"One morning, summer of 2018, I woke up and I looked around and everything wasn't that clear. And so I got up, went and washed my face and put my eye drops in and everything was still that way. My conscience said, you're not seeing that well today.
And no matter what I did, the eye drops or anything, nothing was getting better. There was a little bit of cloudiness and so I went into the kitchen. I'm going, I'm looking out my kitchen window and I just, it's just cloudy. I thought something is wrong here, I don't feel comfortable looking out. I could not figure out why this was happening and it just continued.
So at that point I decided that I needed to make a phone call and call my doctor. My doctor ran a lot of tests and after all the tests he sat down next to me and he just looked at me and he said, “Carol you have wet-age related macular degeneration”. I just sat there. I frankly just sat there and he then went on to explain what wet AMD really was and what that meant. My doctor told me about a colleague that he had that was specializing in wet AMD. I was able to get an appointment with her right away and Mike, my fiance, was able to drive me down there to see her.
Doctor confirmed what I had and she explained that she was going to begin giving me an injection in my left eye every four weeks. Everything that I do is around seeing. I play tennis a couple of times a week, pickleball a couple of times a week, I do exercise classes. I am very active.
Losing my sight would be absolutely devastating to my life. For two years I went in every four weeks to get my injections. I had to block off one day of my calendar every four weeks. Then my doctor approached me about an implant called SUSVIMO. She explained that SUSVIMO is a permanent refillable eye implant that continuously delivers medicine into the eye over a period of months.
She said it would include a one-time surgery to place a small implant that's filled with medicine in my eye.”
Indications
SUSVIMO (ranibizumab injection) is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with neovascular (wet) age‑related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic macular edema (DME) who have responded to at least two injections of a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitor in the gel-like part of the eye (intravitreal).
"I would then get the implant refilled every six months, meaning I wouldn't have to go for the eye injection every four weeks and that I liked a lot. My doctor was very thorough about answering all the questions. We talked about all the possible risks and benefits. I made the decision to give SUSVIMO a try because it meant I would no longer have to block off a whole day every four weeks from my schedule.
I had my implant surgery in the winter of 2020. The doctors and the nurses were so great. They made me feel so comfortable. The surgery itself was very quick. I was able to go home the same day. I was given an eye patch and I took it easy for about a month at the recommendation of my doctor. I did have some discomfort right after the surgery that lasted for a couple of weeks. It felt like I had some eyelashes in there and they were just irritating. And then a couple of weeks my eye adjusted to it. I even forgot that it was there. Ever since I received my implant I have been doing well. My vision is clear, which means I don't have to block off a day every four weeks for my doctor's appointment.
This is just my experience. Everyone is different. I am continuing to stay active. The summertime I've got the water aerobics, tennis and pickleball and bocce ball are also all year long.
My gratefulness is really outreaching. We can go out and socialize, we can go out dancing, I can go out and play the sports that I wanna play. Being able to go where I can go out and play the sports that I want to play. Being able to go where I want to go is absolutely wonderful. I feel very fortunate."
VOICE-OVER:
What is SUSVIMO (ranibizumab injection)?
SUSVIMO (ranibizumab injection) is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with neovascular (wet) Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) who have responded to at least two injections of a Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) inhibitor in the gel-like part of the eye (intravitreal). It is not known if SUSVIMO is safe and effective in children.
What is the most important information I should know about SUSVIMO?
SUSVIMO (ranibizumab injection) is delivered into the eye using the SUSVIMO implant. The SUSVIMO implant and the procedures to insert, fill, refill, and remove the eye (ocular) implant can cause serious side effects, including:
- An eye infection (endophthalmitis). Endophthalmitis is an infection of the eyeball that can cause permanent damage to your eye, including blindness. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have increasing eye pain, vision loss, sensitivity to light, or redness in the white of the eye. Endophthalmitis requires urgent (same-day) medical or surgical treatment.
- A missing layer on top of the white part of the eye (conjunctival erosion). Conjunctival erosion is an area that becomes missing (defect) in the layer (conjunctiva) that covers the white part of the eye, which may result in exposure of the implant. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have a sudden feeling that something is in your eye, eye discharge, or watering of the eye. Conjunctival erosion may require surgical treatment.
- An opening of the layer that covers the white part of the eye (conjunctival retraction). Conjunctival retraction is an opening or gaping in the layer (conjunctiva) that covers the white part of the eye, which may cause the implant to be exposed. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have a sudden feeling that something is in your eye, eye discharge, or watering of the eye. Conjunctival retraction may require surgical treatment.
Do not receive SUSVIMO if you:
- have an infection in or around your eye.
- have active swelling around your eye that may include pain and redness.
- are allergic to ranibizumab or any of the ingredients in SUSVIMO.
Talk to your healthcare provider before receiving SUSVIMO if you have any of these conditions.
Before receiving SUSVIMO, tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you:
- are currently taking or have recently taken medicines that lower the chance of blood clots forming in the body, such as warfarin, low or regular doses of aspirin, or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
- are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if SUSVIMO will harm your unborn baby. You should use birth control during your treatment with SUSVIMO and for 12 months after your last dose of SUSVIMO.
What are other possible side effects of SUSVIMO?
The SUSVIMO implant and the procedures to insert, fill, refill and remove the eye (ocular) implant can cause other serious side effects, including:
- Tear and separation of layers of the retina (rhegmatogenous retinal detachment). Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment is a tear and separation of one of the layers of the retina in the back of the eye that senses light. Call your healthcare provider or go to the emergency room right away if you see flashing lights, see a curtain or veil covering part of your vision, or have a change in, or a loss of vision. Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment requires surgical treatment.
- Implant movement (implant dislocation): Tell your healthcare provider right away if you notice that the implant has moved out of place. This movement may require surgical treatment to correct.
- Implant damage: Damage to the implant that prevents continued treatment (refills) with SUSVIMO. If the implant is not able to be properly refilled, your wet AMD may be inadequately treated and your physician may remove the implant and/or change your treatment.
- Bleeding (vitreous hemorrhage): Vitreous hemorrhage is bleeding within the gel-like substance (vitreous) inside of your eye. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have an increase in moving spots or what looks like spider webs in your vision, as you may need an additional eye surgery.
- Bump on top of the white layer of the eye (conjunctival bleb): conjunctival bleb is a small bulge in the layer (conjunctiva) that covers the white part of the eye where the implant is inserted. This may be due to leakage of fluid from the inside of the eye. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have a sudden feeling that something is in your eye (foreign body sensation), see a bulge over the white part of your eye, have eye discharge, or have watering in the eye. You may need medical or surgical treatment.
- Temporary decrease in vision after the SUSVIMO procedure.
The most common side effects of SUSVIMO include:
- Blood on the white of the eye
- Eye pain
- Redness in the white of the eye
- Sensitivity to light
These are not all the possible side effects of SUSVIMO.
Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088. You may also report side effects to Genentech at 1-888-835-2555.
Please see Important Safety Information, including Serious Side Effects, as well as the SUSVIMO full Prescribing Information and Medication Guide.
Then, Carol started receiving monthly eye injections to treat her condition. After 2 years of frequent treatments, her doctor recommended SUSVIMO which allowed her to maintain her vision with refills every 6 months.*†‡
Carol continues to stay active and confidently looks forward to summers filled with her favorite activities.
Patient experiences may vary. Please see the video for more information about side effects, including the risk of endophthalmitis.
We can go out dancing. I can go out and play the sports that I want to play. Being able to go where I want to go is absolutely wonderful. I feel very fortunate.
Carol, a patient using SUSVIMO
nAMD: In a clinical trial, 248 people received SUSVIMO, while 167 people were treated with monthly ranibizumab injections. On average, people on SUSVIMO were able to maintain similar vision results to those receiving monthly ranibizumab injections over 1 year.
DME: In a clinical trial, 381 people received SUSVIMO, while 253 people were treated with monthly ranibizumab injections. On average, people on SUSVIMO were able to gain and maintain 9.8 letters on an eye chart for over 1 year, similar to those receiving monthly ranibizumab injections.
†There was a temporary decrease in vision following the SUSVIMO procedure; however, your vision will return to normal as your eye recovers from the procedure.
‡nAMD: If your retina specialist determines that it is necessary, you may need an anti-VEGF injection in the gel-like part of the SUSVIMO-treated eye (intravitreal) before your next refill. Only 1.6% of patients received additional treatment in the first 6 months. In the following 6 months, 5.4% of patients received additional treatment. DME: If your retina specialist determines that it is necessary, you may need an anti-VEGF injection in the gel-like part of the SUSVIMO-treated eye (intravitreal) before your next refill. Only 4.1% of people received additional treatment in the first 6 months of the clinical trial. In the following 6 months, 2.6% of patients received additional treatment.
Hear what Bill, a patient with wet AMD, has to say about his experience with SUSVIMO and how he's been able to keep on participating with his hobbies.
"Being able to see and see clearly is everything. I love to hunt and play golf and both require good eyesight. When I lost some of the vision capabilities, I was pretty scared. So all this happened at duck camp in January of 2017. I was seeing silhouettes instead of seeing somebody's facial features. Driving a car at night was one big bright light and when I got home from that trip, I called my eye doctor. Went to him immediately, and he noticed something in the eye that wasn't good or normal. And he said, I need to send you on to the retina people.
My first visit with the retina specialist, I was diagnosed with wet age-related macular degeneration. I got started on eye injections right away. My doctor said, this is not good. And my response was, what do you mean this is not good? So he said, well, apparently you're probably gonna have to come back every four to six weeks to be injected. And basically I wanted to know how long. He said, well, that's gonna be lifelong.
And I thought, wow. That was devastating news. I was just, it blew me away. And I was kind of like, that can't happen, that can't be. I had been receiving the injections about six months and was responding to the medication.
My doctor told me I was a good candidate for SUSVIMO. He said SUSVIMO is an eye implant that is surgically placed in the eye. The implant is refillable and continuously delivers medicine into the eye for a period of six months, meaning that I would go in for a refill twice a year."
Indications
SUSVIMO (ranibizumab injection) is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with neovascular (wet) Age‑related Macular Degeneration (AMD) and diabetic macular edema (DME) who have responded to at least two injections of a Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) inhibitor in the gel-like part of the eye (intravitreal).
"Right off the bat I was excited.I thought, wow, you know, if this is gonna give me a chance to maybe not get injected every month or six weeks, I thought this is great. After discussing all the potential risks and benefits, I decided to give SUSVIMO a try. My brother Pete drove me to the hospital on the day of my implant surgery. The procedure itself was uneventful.
No real remembrances of any discomforts or no pains at all while the procedure went on. Lasted 30 to 45 minutes. For post-op, I was given an eye patch. The instructions after that were just to take it easy for approximately a month. You know, you don't need to be out doing anything that's going to put any strain on your eye or a chance to have something hit your eye. I went in for a follow-up appointment and my doctor said the eye is healing well. My family has been very supportive throughout this process and they think it's pretty cool. And I think it's pretty cool. My experience with the implant has been uneventful. And as a result of the surgery and the implant, I have felt nothing. No itching, no pain.
And had I not been there to have it put in my eye, I wouldn't even know it's in my eye. With the exception of refill time. And the only thing you feel then is just the pressure, initial pressure of the injection.
This is my experience and everyone else could be different. The fact that I don't have to go back every month to be injected is a big relief. The SUSVIMO implant has allowed me to continue to do the things I enjoy and love. Mostly sports related activities, you know, if I'm hunting or golfing. Life couldn't be better, especially my eyesight life."
VOICE-OVER:
What is SUSVIMO (ranibizumab injection)?
SUSVIMO (ranibizumab injection) is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with neovascular (wet) Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) who have responded to at least two injections of a Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) inhibitor in the gel-like part of the eye (intravitreal). It is not known if SUSVIMO is safe and effective in children.
What is the most important information I should know about SUSVIMO?
SUSVIMO (ranibizumab injection) is delivered into the eye using the SUSVIMO implant. The SUSVIMO implant and the procedures to insert, fill, refill, and remove the eye (ocular) implant can cause serious side effects, including:
- An eye infection (endophthalmitis). Endophthalmitis is an infection of the eyeball that can cause permanent damage to your eye, including blindness. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have increasing eye pain, vision loss, sensitivity to light, or redness in the white of the eye. Endophthalmitis requires urgent (same-day) medical or surgical treatment.
- A missing layer on top of the white part of the eye (conjunctival erosion). Conjunctival erosion is an area that becomes missing (defect) in the layer (conjunctiva) that covers the white part of the eye, which may result in exposure of the implant. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have a sudden feeling that something is in your eye, eye discharge, or watering of the eye. Conjunctival erosion may require surgical treatment.
An opening of the layer that covers the white part of the eye (conjunctival retraction). Conjunctival retraction is an opening or gaping in the layer (conjunctiva) that covers the white part of the eye, which may cause the implant to be exposed. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have a sudden feeling that something is in your eye, eye discharge, or watering of the eye. Conjunctival retraction may require surgical treatment.
Do not receive SUSVIMO if you:
- have an infection in or around your eye.
- have active swelling around your eye that may include pain and redness.
- are allergic to ranibizumab or any of the ingredients in SUSVIMO.
Talk to your healthcare provider before receiving SUSVIMO if you have any of these conditions.
Before receiving SUSVIMO, tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you:
- are currently taking or have recently taken medicines that lower the chance of blood clots forming in the body, such as warfarin, low or regular doses of aspirin, or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
- are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if SUSVIMO will harm your unborn baby. You should use birth control during your treatment with SUSVIMO and for 12 months after your last dose of SUSVIMO.
What are other possible side effects of SUSVIMO?
The SUSVIMO implant and the procedures to insert, fill, refill and remove the eye (ocular) implant can cause other serious side effects, including:
Tear and separation of layers of the retina (rhegmatogenous retinal detachment). Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment is a tear and separation of one of the layers of the retina in the back of the eye that senses light. Call your healthcare provider or go to the emergency room right away if you see flashing lights, see a curtain or veil covering part of your vision, or have a change in, or a loss of vision. Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment requires surgical treatment.
Implant movement (implant dislocation): Tell your healthcare provider right away if you notice that the implant has moved out of place. This movement may require surgical treatment to correct.
Implant damage: Damage to the implant that prevents continued treatment (refills) with SUSVIMO. If the implant is not able to be properly refilled, your wet AMD may be inadequately treated and your physician may remove the implant and/or change your treatment.
Bleeding (vitreous hemorrhage): Vitreous hemorrhage is bleeding within the gel-like substance (vitreous) inside of your eye. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have an increase in moving spots or what looks like spider webs in your vision, as you may need an additional eye surgery.
Bump on top of the white layer of the eye (conjunctival bleb): conjunctival bleb is a small bulge in the layer (conjunctiva) that covers the white part of the eye where the implant is inserted. This may be due to leakage of fluid from the inside of the eye. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have a sudden feeling that something is in your eye (foreign body sensation), see a bulge over the white part of your eye, have eye discharge, or have watering in the eye. You may need medical or surgical treatment.
Temporary decrease in vision after the SUSVIMO procedure.
The most common side effects of SUSVIMO include:
- Blood on the white of the eye
- Eye pain
- Redness in the white of the eye
- Sensitivity to light
These are not all the possible side effects of SUSVIMO.
Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088. You may also report side effects to Genentech at 1-888- 835-2555.
Please see Important Safety Information, including Serious Side Effects, as well as the SUSVIMO full Prescribing Information and Medication Guide.
Once diagnosed, Bill was devastated to learn that he needed monthly eye injections for the foreseeable future.
After half a year of frequent injections, Bill was told that he would be a good candidate for an alternative treatment.
He was excited to find out that he only needed refills every 6 months with SUSVIMO.*†‡ This meant Bill was able to receive continuous treatment and didn’t have to miss out on the activities he loves.
Patient experiences may vary. Please see the video for more information about side effects, including the risk of endophthalmitis.
Right off the bat I was excited. I thought, wow, you know, if this is gonna give me a chance to maybe not get injected every month or six weeks, I thought this is great.
Bill, a patient using SUSVIMO
nAMD:In a clinical trial, 248 people received SUSVIMO, while 167 people were treated with monthly ranibizumab injections. On average, people on SUSVIMO were able to maintain similar vision results to those receiving monthly ranibizumab injections over 1 year.
DME:In a clinical trial, 381 people received SUSVIMO, while 253 people were treated with monthly ranibizumab injections. On average, people on SUSVIMO were able to gain and maintain 9.8 letters on an eye chart for over 1 year, similar to those receiving monthly ranibizumab injections.
†There was a temporary decrease in vision following the SUSVIMO procedure; however, your vision will return to normal as your eye recovers from the procedure.
‡nAMD: If your retina specialist determines that it is necessary, you may need an anti-VEGF injection in the gel-like part of the SUSVIMO-treated eye (intravitreal) before your next refill. Only 1.6% of patients received additional treatment in the first 6 months. In the following 6 months, 5.4% of patients received additional treatment. DME: If your retina specialist determines that it is necessary, you may need an anti-VEGF injection in the gel-like part of the SUSVIMO-treated eye (intravitreal) before your next refill. Only 4.1% of people received additional treatment in the first 6 months of the clinical trial. In the following 6 months, 2.6% of patients received additional treatment.
Every person's experience with SUSVIMO is unique.
That's why we want to hear from you if you or a loved one is being treated with SUSVIMO. Share your story and inspire others.§
Call or email to learn more about the opportunity to become a patient ambassador.
§All applicants will go through a screening process. If selected for the program, you will be compensated for your involvement and time. Qualified candidates must be 18 years of age or older to participate.
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LOOKING FOR RESOURCES?
This downloadable brochure can help to keep information close by about how SUSVIMO can help you get the most out of your treatment.
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SUSVIMO [package insert]. South San Francisco, CA: Genentech, Inc; 2022.
SUSVIMO [package insert]. South San Francisco, CA: Genentech, Inc; 2022.
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Campochiaro PA, Marcus DM, Awh CC, et al. The port delivery system with ranibizumab for neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Ophthalmology. 2019;126:1141-1154.
Campochiaro PA, Marcus DM, Awh CC, et al. The port delivery system with ranibizumab for neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Ophthalmology. 2019;126:1141-1154.
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SUSVIMO Initial Fill and Implant Procedure Instructions for Use. Genentech, Inc. 2022.
SUSVIMO Initial Fill and Implant Procedure Instructions for Use. Genentech, Inc. 2022.
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Monés J, Gune S, Maia M, et al. Pharmacokinetic profile of the port delivery system with ranibizumab in the phase 3 Archway trial. Presented at 21st EURETINA Congress, September 9-12, 2021.
Monés J, Gune S, Maia M, et al. Pharmacokinetic profile of the port delivery system with ranibizumab in the phase 3 Archway trial. Presented at 21st EURETINA Congress, September 9-12, 2021.
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Ranade SV, Wieland MR, Tam T, et al. The port delivery system with ranibizumab: a new paradigm for long-acting retinal drug delivery. Drug Delivery. 2022;29(1):1326-1334.
Ranade SV, Wieland MR, Tam T, et al. The port delivery system with ranibizumab: a new paradigm for long-acting retinal drug delivery. Drug Delivery. 2022;29(1):1326-1334.
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Data on file. Genentech, Inc. 2021.
Data on file. Genentech, Inc. 2021.
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Data on file. Genentech, Inc. 2021.
Data on file. Genentech, Inc. 2021.
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Holekamp NM, Campochiaro PA, Chang MA, et al; Archway Investigators. Archway randomized phase 3 trial of the port delivery system with ranibizumab for neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Ophthalmology. 2022;129(3):295-307.
Holekamp NM, Campochiaro PA, Chang MA, et al; Archway Investigators. Archway randomized phase 3 trial of the port delivery system with ranibizumab for neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Ophthalmology. 2022;129(3):295-307.
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A phase III study to evaluate the port delivery system with ranibizumab compared with monthly ranibizumab injections in participants with wet age-related macular degeneration. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03677934. Updated July 22, 2021. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03677934
A phase III study to evaluate the port delivery system with ranibizumab compared with monthly ranibizumab injections in participants with wet age-related macular degeneration. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03677934. Updated July 22, 2021. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03677934
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Wykoff CC; Archway Investigators. 2-year outcomes from the phase 3 Archway trial: management of neovascular age-related macular degeneration using the port delivery system with ranibizumab (PDS). Presented at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute Angiogenesis, Exudation, and Degeneration 2022 – Virtual Edition, February 11-12, 2022.
Wykoff CC; Archway Investigators. 2-year outcomes from the phase 3 Archway trial: management of neovascular age-related macular degeneration using the port delivery system with ranibizumab (PDS). Presented at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute Angiogenesis, Exudation, and Degeneration 2022 – Virtual Edition, February 11-12, 2022.
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Data on file. Genentech, Inc. 2021.
Data on file. Genentech, Inc. 2021.
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Data on file. Genentech, Inc. 2021.
Data on file. Genentech, Inc. 2021.
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Chang MA, Kapre A, Kaufman D, et al. Patient preference and treatment satisfaction with a port delivery system for ranibizumab vs intravitreal injections in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Ophthalmology. Published online June 16, 2022.
Chang MA, Kapre A, Kaufman D, et al. Patient preference and treatment satisfaction with a port delivery system for ranibizumab vs intravitreal injections in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Ophthalmology. Published online June 16, 2022.
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